Saturday, January 8, 2011

The Hunting and Cooking of Squirrel

By Joseph Parish

A few weeks ago my family and I attended a friend’s birthday party and the main course for the meal was squirrel. While my wife had never previously eaten this meat she was willing to give it a try. Myself, I was already acquainted with the taste and found it not to be offensive in the least. My friend’s freezer was loaded with their usual meats such as chicken, pork chops, deer meat and turkey however they deliberately choose the squirrel in order to familiarize my wife with the texture and taste of it.

The sharing of this wild game with their domestic meats actually resulted in a very substantial savings in their food budget. The price of ammo is much cheaper then purchasing frozen meat in the local grocery store while the cost of a hunting and fishing license is extremely reasonable and if you are into trapping those licenses are a merely $3.50 here in Delaware. You simply can not beat that price. I actually enjoy an occasional meal of rabbit or squirrel over the usual ham or pork chop.

This past year my grandson has become interested in hunting. The two of us have attended many hunting classes specifically tailored to the state of Delaware and he is looking forward to going out squirrel hunting soon. In January, I plan to purchase him a shotgun for this deer hunting and perhaps a 22 to take care of his desire for small game such as squirrel or rabbit.

When my friend Janice and Joe prepare their squirrel they do so in much the same manner as they would a rabbit or a chicken. She will generally drop the pieces of squirrel into some seasoned flour and than fry it in oil as she would a Sunday chicken. The squirrel was tasty and even my wife found it compatible to her taste. Never discount the idea of developing a taste for wild game as it happens all the time. Of interest is the fact that many people will openly brag as to how they will literally starve before they eat wild foods which they are not accustomed to. My point here is why not become accustomed to these foods before you need them to survive. My friends and I are getting my spouse and grandson used to eating things such as squirrel or other wild game just in case that’s all we will have available.

With the high costs that we are now seeing in our daily lives I envision a return to the hunting of wildlife in the near future. Small game in particular will likely be appearing on the family dinner table since it is simple to process and readily available. You don’t need a truck to haul the carcass to a butcher as rabbit or squirrel can simply be placed into a box in your trunk or even field dressed on location.

I firmly recommend that everyone learn the arts associated with the outdoors such as hunting and trapping. Even if you do not plan to use these skills at this time it never hurts to take a class and learn the fundamentals. It may come in handy someday. In conclusion a good way to start your hunting skills would be by going for the small game. Get someone to show you the ropes and simply go for it. I think in time you will be glad you did.

1 comment:

Interesting. I've never actually heard of anyone eating squirrel. I'm not necessary opposed to it. However, I can't imagine there's a lot of meat on those little guys, is there, except maybe at the very beginning of the winter? Do you plan on one per serving?